


In-N-Out

by bunnoculars



Category: SHINee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-14 03:03:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16031645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnoculars/pseuds/bunnoculars
Summary: "I understand Shinee has developed a passion for America's In-N-Out Burgers."--President Barack Obama





	In-N-Out

**Author's Note:**

> I would’ve loved to do field research for this one, but I live on the east coast ;__;

“Five double-doubles, four pops, and one strawberry shake, please.”

The kid behind the counter just looks at Kibum.

“No combos?”

Jonghyun shoots Kibum a look, like Kibum is losing an argument or something and Jonghyun’s not sure how to help, but Kibum’s got this. He opens his mouth and—

“He means with fries, right?” Jinki says, and then, before Kibum can even say anything, “Five combos. Five…Number Ones. Please.”

Whatever. It’s Jinki’s waistline, and Jinki’s money. He hasn’t needed Kibum’s help counting it in years, either, so Kibum takes their cups and takes Jonghyun and gets as far out of the way as possible. It’s like three o’clock on a Wednesday, and this place is still a zoo. America is a zoo. At least LA is. Kibum’s not sure how far they’d have to drive to discover the place he’s seen on TV, big blue sky, red rock, middle of nowhere. He thinks he’d like that, being the only five people on the planet for a while.

“It’s like a hundred fucking degrees,” Jonghyun whines, gathering up salt and pepper packets by the fistful, “why the fuck are we eating outside again?”

Or not.

“There’s a ton of Korean Americans around here. Just FYI.”

Kibum thinks maybe it would be too mean to say You’re embarrassing me, let alone You're embarrassing Shinee, or to tell Jonghyun he sounds like a thirteen-year-old, learning to swear out of his mom’s earshot. But then a group of girls squeeze in at the counter next to them, What the fuck? I know, right? He’s being so fucking weird about it, like, seriously, what the fuck am I supposed to do. Blah blah blah, fuck fuck fuck, diet coke, diet coke, coke, root beer, ketchup, until one of them tells Jonghyun he’s really fucking hot, and Kibum has to rescue him.

“Don’t tell Taeminnie,” Jonghyun says right away.

Which, Taemin’s not Jonghyun, he’s not the one who loses his mind when people hit on his boyfriend, but whatever. There’s Jinki, anyway, with two trays of greasy, salty, saucy heaven on earth. And then there are Minho and Taemin, sitting in the sun, probably burning to a crisp. Jonghyun took care of Taemin, but there’s no taking care of Minho. He always thinks he doesn’t need sunscreen, and he’s always wrong.

Taemin doesn’t bother with hello, just goes straight to annoying Kibum. “Did you remember my milkshake, hyung?”

“Vanilla, right~?”

The fastest way to shut Jinki up is to give Taemin what he wants, but Jonghyun gets there first, sliding in next to Taemin, finding him a straw and a spoon. He’d probably feed him, too, if he weren’t starving himself. They rolled out of bed to catch their flight and went straight from the airport to rehearsal, no breakfast, no nothing, until now.

Kibum’s burger is saving his life. It’s restoring his faith in humanity, he’s hating the others less and less with each bite. It’s that beautiful. He needs to slow down, he needs to make this last.

He’s so goddamn hungry.

“Did you know they have a secret menu?” Minho says to Jinki. “There’s something called a four-by-four, it’s a quadruple cheeseburger. See, I think that person over there has it.”

When Kibum throws him a look, Minho’s ready with a grin, giant and shit-eating, the kind Kibum loves to hate.

“If you want it, hyung will buy it for you. Life is one chance,” Jinki says, cheeks bulging like a chipmunk. He gives it a little more thought, chewing and chewing, and amends, “We can just go back for seconds, that adds up to the same thing.”

Because carbs aren’t a thing? Kibum is pretty sure they are. He’s pretty sure they’re a wonderful, soft, fluffy, toasted…evil, horrible no-good diet-wrecking thing.

“You have something here.” Minho twitches his finger to the side of his own mouth, drags Kibum away from his taste buds, back into the rest of his body. He’s been pigging out, he probably looks so fucking gross right now, and they forgot napkins… “Here.”

Minho gets it for him, reaching across the table, eyes narrowed in concentration, there and gone before Kibum can knock his hand away, licking his thumb clean and stealing Kibum’s fries. Kibum gives up deciding if he’s embarrassed, wondering if they have forks inside. Knives, maybe. Something to stab Minho’s hand if he tries it again.

Because who cares. Nobody else here does, that’s for sure, talking and laughing and eating, just another day in California, just another afternoon rush at In-N-Out…just five friends having lunch. Just Kim Kibum. The only one looking was Minho.

“You have something too, Taemin-ah.”

Jonghyun. Of course he would.

Kibum already knows the ending, it's clear as day, but he still turns to look, just in time to see Jonghyun lean in and kiss Taemin’s something away. It’s worth it to see Taemin’s smile, though, bigger and brighter and happier than the sun shining down on them.

“Do you want some of my shake? It’s good, right?”

“Try them with ketchup, Taeminnie. Aaaah~”

“You did it on purpose, that time.”

“Uh huh. I guess I won't do it again?”

“Hyung~”

Another five kisses later, because Taemin has ketchup on his lips, because Jonghyun bit his tongue, because Taemin’s so cute, because Jonghyun’s cuter, just because…Kibum thinks about telling them he’s going to be sick, but instead he turns to the other two and says, “I heard they have this thing called animal style fries. Just saying. Just in case anyone’s interested, or anything.”


End file.
